The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-16

script and never let 1t 90 into type, and writ
ing afterward, in his old days: "Of this
Jesus Of Nazareth have to say that the svs-
tenn Of morals He let, and the religion he
has given us are the best things the world
has ever Hser2 see1 the eeetrc kG cSampen Dse
of liberty, enslaved by this delusion,
SO that he says: 1.-THE book worth all other
| books put together is the Bible. BENJAMIN
Rush, the leading Psychologist and anatom-
ist Of his day, the great medical scientist
what did he say? "The only true and perfect
religion is Chris. .ianty." Isaac Newton. the
say? That man surrendering to this delu-
sion Of the Christian religion, crying out:
sThe sublimest philosophy on earth is the
philosophy of the Gospel" David Brewster.
at the pronunciation Of whose name every
scientist the world G oyer bows his head. David S
a great light to me, a very great light all my
days" President Thiers, the great
French statesman. acknowledging that he
prayed when he said: Il invoke the Lord
God in whom am glad to believe" David
Livingstone. able to conquer the lion, able
to conquer the panther. able to conquer t he
savage. yet conquered by this delusion, this
hallucination, this great swindle of the ages,
so when thew find him dead they find him on
his knees. William E. Gladstone, the strong
est intellect in England to-day, unable to re-
sist this rhimera, this fallacy. this delusion
of the Christian religion, goes to the house
Of God every Sabbath, and often, at the in
the people. o, If those mighty intel;ect are
overborne by this delusion, what chance Is
there for you and for mea
Beside that. have noticed that first-rate
infdels cannot be depended on for steadfast-
mes, in the proclamation Of their sentiments
Goethe, leading skeptic, was so wrought
upon by this christianity, that in q weak
moment he cried out: "My belief in the
life" Rousseau, one of the most eloquent
champions Of infidelity, spending his whole
life warning against Christianity, cries out:
"The majesty Of the Scriptures amazes me:
Altamont, the notorious infidel, one would
think he would have besn safe against this
de'usion Of the Christian religion: Oh, no!
After talking against Christianity all his
thou blasphemed but most indulgent
Lord God, hell itself is refuge if
it hide me from Thy frown." Voltaire, the
most talented infdel the world ever saw,
writing two hundred and fifty publications,
and the most Of them spiteful against Chris
tianity, himself the most notorious libertine
of the century-one would have thought he
COuIu udNo Utcu uOpOuuoo uESh AOA ooSoA-
fastness in the advocacy Of infidelity and in
the war against this terrible chimera. this
delusion of the Gospel. But no; in his last
hour he asked for Christian burial. and asks
that they give him the sacrament Of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Why, you cannot de-
pend upon these first-rate infdels-you can
not depend upon their power to resist this
Paine, the goi Of modern sSeptics, his
birthday celebrated in New York
aud Boston with great enthusiasm
Thomas Paine, the paragon Of Bible
haters-ThomaS Paine, about whom his
brother infidel. William Carver, wrote in a
letter which have at my house, saying that
he drank a quart of rum day and was too
mean and too dishonest to pay for it:Thom-
as Paine, the a1ored Of modern lnidehty-
Thomas Paine, who stole another mans wife
in England and brought her to this land
Thomas Paine, who was so squalid and so
loathesome and so drunken and so profligate
and so beastlY in his habits, sometimes picked
out Of the ditch, sometimes too filthy to be
picked out7-Thomas Paine, one would have
for steadfastness against this great delusion:
But no. In his dying hour, he begs the Lord
Jesus Christ for mercy.
Powerful delusion, all-conquering delusion,
earthquaking delusion Of the Christian re-
lig'on. Yea, it goes on, it is so impertinent,
and it is so overbearing, this chimera of the
Gospel, that having conquered the great
picture galleries Of the world: the old mas
ters and the young masters, as showed in
former sermon, it is not satisfied until it has
conquered the music Of the world. Look
over the programme Of that magnificent
musical festival few years ago in
New York and see what were the
great performances, and learn that the
greatest Of all the subject: we're religious
subjects. What was it one night when three
thousand voi"es were accom- anied with q
vast number of Instruments "Tsrael in
Egypt" Yes. Beethoven deluded until he
wrote the High Mass in D. Major. Haydn
deluded with this religion until he wrote the
"Creation" Handel delu 'e1 until he wrote
the oratorios of "Jephthah" and "Esther"
and "Saul" and "Israel in Egypt" and the
"Messiah.n On the closing night three
tholsand deluded people singing OF a delu-
sion to eight thousand deluded hearers.
Yes, this chimera Of the Gospel is not sat-
isfied until it goes on and builds itself into
the most permanent architecture, so it seems
as if the world is never to get rid OF it. What
are some of the finest buildings in the world?
St. Paul's, St. Peters, the churches and ca
thedrals Of all Christendom. Yes, this i'm
pertinence of the Gospel, this vast deluson
IS not satisfied until it projects itself, and in
one year gives, contributes, S6,250, 900 to
foreign missions, the work of which is to
make ounces and fools on the other side of the
world-people we have never seen. Deluded
doctors two hundred and twenty physicians
meeting week by week in London. in the
Union Medical Prayer Circle, to worship
Gcd. Deluded lawyers-the late Lord Cairns,
the highest legal authority in England, the
e1-adViser of the throne, spending his vaca-
tion in preaching the Gospel Of Jesus Christ
to the poor people Of S,otan Frederick
T. Frelipghuysen, once the Secretary of
State of the United Statss an old-fashioned
evangelical Christian, an elder in the Re-
formed Church. Jonn Bright. deluded
Quaker. Henry Wilson, the Vice-President
Of the United States, dying deluded Metho-
dist or CO cngregationalist Earl OF Klntore
diving deluded Presbyterian. The canni,
oals in South Sea, the Bushmen OF Terra del
Fuego the wild men Of Australia, putting
down the knives of their cruelty, and CLOTH
ing themselves in decent apparel-all under
the power Of this delusion. Judson, and Doty,
aud Abeel, and Campbell and Will am, and
the three thousand missionaries of the cross,
turning their backs on home and civilization
and comfort, and going out among the squaior
of heathenism to receive it, to save IT, 70
help it, toiling until they drop into tneir
graves dying with no earthly comfort about
them, and going into graves with no appros,
pirate epitaph, when they might nave iiSeo
in this country, and lived Tor themselves,
and lived luxuriously, and been at last put
into brilliant sepulchres. What deluslon!
Yea, this delusion Of Christian religion
shows itself in the fact that it goes to those
who are in trouble Now, it is bad enough
to cheat a man when he is well, and when he
is prosperous; but this religion comes to
non uben he 10 sick and saws: "Y ou will be